Boomerang
by maravelous
Summary: Oneshot;AU; A slice of life is always delicious. — ShikaTema


**Author's Note: **Yes, I do get sick of my own spontaneous need to post random stories. This is just an ode to the summer that is slowly slipping away; a fluffy ShikaTema. Please enjoy!

* * *

_What goes around comes around. _

_

* * *

_

I know that in some colleges, you don't get the summer off. Only a few are like that, but there are indeed enough to scare the lighthearted into applying to a community college.

I remember taking my ACT, the test that would determine my future, and all I could think about was my stupid pencil. It was gonna die in about thirty seconds before I finally finished the essay. No, seriously, it was this sad little stump. Almost broke my heart looking at the thing.

I ended up getting top marks on the ACT, which meant I achieved the title of first place, a round of applause at convocations, and a full ride to Maple Park Community College; MPCC. That was one hell of a scholarship. It paid for the whole package, air conditioning and all.

Although I'm glad to be out of school for the summer, I have to admit that I'm content here. Rooming with my best friend, waking up every morning to be greeted by our letter jackets and slipping on a long-sleeved shirt with 'Senior's 2009' printed on the back, proudly nestled among our old High School colors…and, er…not to mention occasionally nailing the most beautiful girl in the world.

All that's left? Asking her out.

Boomerang.

**Temari** always has this combination of scents. Perfume, deodorant, body butter, hand lotion, shampoo, conditioner, and anti-frizz serum. I only know about all that stupid feminine crap because one of my best friends happens to be a chick, and sometimes she literally drags me and my roommate shopping with her. It always turns out to be a rather unpleasant experience.

More to the point, I love how she smells. _Vanilla._ This morning, I can't seem to get enough of pressing my lips into the back of her head and inhaling her light blonde hair. Vanilla…God, I could _drool_…

Her bare shoulders shake once with a lighthearted laugh. "What's with your fetish?"

I smile a little and shrug against her. "Maybe I'm OCD," I guess while running a hand down the smooth skin of her arm, pleasured from the ripples of shivers that scurry down her neck.

She rolls over in my arms to look up at me, and I take in the full view of her loveliness, my eyes like a camera lens zooming out. The golden sunlight gives her an almost peach-colored glow, flittering and mixing through the cream of the curtains. The brown sheets look nice in contrast, wrapped around the thinly tanned skin of her chest like melted chocolate. And her aqua eyes, like two pools reflecting the corners of her straw brown ceiling.

I've always loved her apartment. It shows off her love of color combinations regarding a creamy off-white, black, and every shade of brown known to man that is eye-pleasing. Give her an idea of a funky hairstyle and a hat, and she's ready to live, or die happy.

I raise my eyebrows as she sits up a bit to kiss me deeply. When we part I murmur, "Good morning," and she grins.

"Morning," she returns, and sighs and rests her head into my bare chest. I hold her to me peacefully. "I love summer," she remarks, staring across the bedroom. My eyes follow her gaze, noting the clothes thrown around the room randomly (I eye her lacy black panties against the wall, completely soaked, for a brief second), and we stare at the window. "We don't have to freak out about running to class, do we?"

"Yup, I'm gonna miss it. Only a couple weeks 'till school." I think back to the last year of college, and snicker teasingly. "I remember your excuses. 'No, I'm fine, I just twisted my ankle.'"

"Shut up!"

"Ah, hey, you're laughing!"

"Haha, no I am not!"

Breakfast.

**Chouji** loves to eat. I do not say this lightly. He _loves_ to eat. More than any natural male human being should. It's a passion, a hobby, a freaking _pass-time_. I never bother him with the question 'why'. In fact, I never really mention it at all. Or ever suggest even a mere hint or notion that he may be a tad over-weight. I try not to even think about it, for fear of a spontaneous and not in the least bit painless or bloodless death.

This morning, he seems to be eating _for_ me. Sucking my troubles away in a rainbow of thought and worry like a vampire and transferring it into his food, where he buries them away in a well-protected nest of indigestion. That's the kind of guy he is, whenever he know something's wrong with me he freaks out himself. He's the kindest, most thoughtful person I could have asked for, I adore him. I just wish he wouldn't take these things out on himself…

"I mean, what if someone _else_ starts hitting on her, man?" he manages to somewhat 'mrphl' through his cheeks, full like a chipmunk's. "Or worse, _banging_ her! Then it'll be like _you're_ banging her _and_ him!"

"Who's '_him_'?" I question calmly. It's kind of sad that _he's_ the one pulling his own hair out and _I'm_ the one trying to make sense of it all.

"I dunno, man, but that makes you wonder; maybe there's _already_ a him!" He shovels up another heaping spoonful of oatmeal and slides it into his mouth. "Or maybe…" He chews thoughtfully. "Or maybe, I dunno, maybe she's just a whore, you know? What if she does this for two guys at once?"

I frown. "I seriously doubt that, Chouji."

He points his spoon at me. "Well you don't know for _sure_! And you see? Just the _idea_ makes you furious, right?"

"Not at _her_," I say defensively. I lower the spoon from in front of my face – it's starting to annoy me – and fold my elbows on the table. "Listen, is this the only reason you invited me to your house? So you can interrogate me while your parents aren't home to hear it? Where are they, anyways? You never told me."

"Oh, they're on vacation. At Mackinaw Island."

"Oh, Mackinaw? Sounds nice."

"Yeah, I totally wanted to go with them but they were bitching about my grades and…hey, don't you change the subject!" He places a hand on the table with the air of a very wise old man who has partied too many birthdays. "Shikamaru, I am your best friend, and you are mine. Been that way since we were, like, three, and it's never gonna change. I _care_ about you, man. So you gotta understand that while you keep ranting on to me about how much you love this girl you're getting' it on with, I'd kinda like you too get those balls she so obviously lusts after together, and _tell her already_!"

I wince at the harshly blatant way he puts it. "Chouji, I just don't think I'm ready for that yet."

"For what, love? Are you saying you don't love her?"

"What? Of course I-!" I stop myself upon seeing Chouji's interested gaze and I close my eyes, frustrated. "I love her. It _hurts_, okay?"

"Try lubricant."

"Very clever, Chouji," I mutter, un-amused as he cackles and pats his stomach contently. "Congratulations, did you spend all night thinking that up?"

"Shikamaru…" He watches me, and shakes his head. "What the hell are you waiting for? It's like playing soccer; the ball 'aint gonna grow legs and walk to you, you gotta run to it."

"Chouji, this stuff takes time," I say reasonably.

"No it doesn't!" he retaliates calmly. "Time can mend some things and ruin others, and this is one of those things it just can't help! The more you wait, the more of her you'll lose."

"Or gain," I point out, taking a sip of orange juice.

He sighs. "You're smart, dude. But you know nothing about this stuff." He grabs a cinnamon roll and takes a bite, all the while observing me. "Although it's obvious you're not gonna listen to me, let me give you at least one bit of helpful advice," he says with a full mouth. "When the time comes where you finally get your cute little head out of the clouds and decide to tell her how you feel about her, _don't hesitate_. You'll see, it'll all work out for itself."

Scent.

**Ino** is one of those women who make men in sitcoms wonder what's wrong with the female race. She is ever the cliché girl; loves shopping, manicures, hair, shoes, all the beauty products in the world, and possibly life itself. Fortunately, maybe because of her wide range of interests or small range of dislikes, she is very pleasant to talk to.

Just not to listen to…

Either way, I don't know where I'd be without her. She's almost as close as Chouji is to me. She's helped me out of a few tough situations, and I've beaten up two guys that thought they could mess with her. She means a lot to me.

So it's nothing _personal_…

"Ino, would you please shut up, take a very deep breath, and start again while _articulating_?"

Chouji chuckles as he slips another plate into the dishwasher, and I hear Ino huff over the phone.

"Excuse me, Shikamaru? Well, fine, have it that way! I have a _life_, a _wonderful_ life filled with – filled with people, and, and places to go…yet I take time _out_ of that life, those opportunities and experiences ready to bloom, _exposing _their _beautiful_ petals to the _world_, to call _you_ in _your_ time of need! And you give me _this_? This ignorant…_bullshit_? I am _not_ fucking pleased!"

I sigh in relief. "Thank you for articulating."

"Oh, is this better? Alright, well, then I'll say it again." She clears her throat, business-like. If I didn't know better I'd say she was a telemarketer. But she hates them. She always answers as Bob the Builder or Dora the Explorer.

"Okay," she begins. "I'm telling you that I clearly heard Chouji tell me that you most definitely told him that you and Temari are officially 'friends with benefits' – congrats, by the way, it's about time you got laid – yet you lack the courage I am absolutely certain you possess – although it may be a small amount – to actually tell her that you truly, honestly, deeply and purely _love her_!"

How she says these things in one breath, let alone one sentence, is the biggest mystery I've ever come across.

"Now, Shikamaru, is the summer of your discontent, in the words of…Shakespeare, was it?"

Oh, and she's still going!

"I'm pretty sure it's Shakespeare. I mean, it couldn't have been from '_Hamlet_', could it? No, it couldn't possibly…"

Where does she get the lung capacity?

"Oh well…back to the point, or, rather, avoiding the point – ah, listen to me, I'm rambling! Shikamaru, to cut it short, you and Chouji are coming to the park for lunch!"

"Wait, wait, Ino…" I glance at Chouji. "Don't get ahead of yourself. You couldn't have heard it from Chouji, I'm _with_ him _right now_."

"Oh, I know that. He texted me."

I stare at Chouji, who shrugs. "Sorry, but I had to do something," he says, holding his cell phone up smugly.

"I'll kill you later," I mutter darkly before turning back to the phone. "Listen, Ino, don't-"

"Oh, don't worry, I would _never_ ruin a relationship. I won't tell a soul," she promises cheerfully. "However…"

"…What…?" I ask warily, not wanting to know the answer already.

"You never responded to my invitation, which I believe was quite polite. You and Chouji are to show up no sooner than 12:00 noon at the park today for lunch. I've already called everyone else, and they've all agreed to it."

"…Why…?"

"Because, as I've said, I am quite polite in my invitations."

"No, why-?"

"Oh! Well, no sooner than noon because…See, if you show up too early, that shows you were too lazy to check the time, but it's _always_ fine to be fashionably late."

"No! Ino!" I groan aloud and start again carefully. "Why are we going to the park?"

"Oh? Does this mean you won't go? Temari will be there, you know. She is, after all, quite close to TenTen, who I myself am very close to. Neji will be there too, TenTen's boyfriend. I thought he was a friend of yours. And-"

"Ino, you're not answering my question," I grumble, glowering at Chouji who's grinning away by the dishwasher.

"Does it matter when all those people could somehow figure out your true feelings and perverted truths that rot in the pit of your heart existing only with the notion that they are un-heard-gos-sip?" she asks in a sunny, sly voice.

It's silent for five seconds as it all clicks like an unpleasant set of gears.

"…I'm in."

"Great!"

Great...

Boomerang.

**Temari** reminds me of Sunday, when I was still in High School. Nothing to do, just sitting around outside on the back porch and taking the first bite into a breakfast of green tea and a warm, chocolate brownie, the fudgy taste melting on my tongue as a robin hops along at my feet, his fluffy plumage bearing the drops of a past rainstorm clinging to it's feathers. That sort of pleasant feeling where you can relax, and you don't have to worry about yourself, or anything else for that matter.

Her voice is low and soothing. It can make a crying baby laugh, a wounded bird fly. And it can get a jackass like me to smile. It's so full and pure, and _real_. Not like the other girly voices, high pitched and squeaky and sounding like they belong to a factory. Hers is like the rumbling of a waterfall, or the lowest string on a violin. Like sugar to my ears.

"Hello?" That simple hello can always get me to sit up a little straighter every time I hear that, even over the phone.

"Hey." I absentmindedly finger the small wrinkled rectangle of paper I keep on my bedside table, remembering the day she gave it to me; her phone number on the back.

"…Oh…hi…" As usual, she sounds a little nervous. I wonder why. She's never nervous in person, or even the tiniest bit shy. Just over the phone. It's strange.

"So Ino probably called you already about lunch."

"Yeah, I didn't bother arguing with her," Temari says with a breathless laugh. "Why?"

"Do you want me to give you a ride there?" I ask casually.

There's a short silence, I hear something being set down on the other side of the line. "What makes you think I can't get there by myself?"

I heave an audible sigh. Here we go. "Temari, I'm only suggesting because I know you don't have a car. Why do you always have to freak out about this kind of stuff?"

"I'm just sick of your chauvinism, Shikamaru," she responds petulantly. "You always hold the door open for me, offer to walk or drive me places, hold things or pick things up for me…"

"And here I thought that's what every woman wants," I say sarcastically. "Or are you just ungrateful?"

She huffs over the phone, trying to calm herself. It's not like it's gonna work, her temper is terrible. "Shikamaru, it's sweet, but I'm not helpless, and you're not my boyfriend. You don't need to do all that for me."

My mouth drops open slightly, and I narrow my eyes. What, does she think the whole damn world revolves around _her_? "Don't flatter yourself, hunny," I say darkly. "I wasn't the one who started this."

I can _see_ her expression, filled with the heated fury of a chunk of burning coal. "_What_? What are you trying to say, huh, that I'm a _whore_ or something? That I tried to seduce you?" Her voice is worse. It sounds like my mother having spotted a C minus on my report card in Middle School.

"Well, who knows for sure?" I retaliate, unabashed and throwing up a hand for emphasis.

"Shikamaru, I am _not_ going to be called a whore to my face!'

"I'm not calling you a whore, but I _am _trying to make a _point_! I mean, _you_ invited _me_ to _your_ apartment, after all, remember?"

"To _study_!" she cries. The phone hisses, and I find myself thankful I'm not facing her unmistakable wrath in person.

"Yeah, well, that really didn't work out, did it?" I mumble, shrugging.

"Yeah, because _you_ were busy studying something _else_," she mutters.

She is so full of herself! "Okay, let's see. Who was the one exposing them like two first place trophies?" I demand cruelly.

"Ex_cuse_ me?" Eh, I'm in deep shit now, aren't I? "You are such a…God, would you just go die in a dumpster, or maybe castrate yourself in some creative way? If you have anything down there are all, that is!"

"Don't sound so proud. There must be, because you've taken quite advantage of it," I grit out through my teeth.

It's silent, and then I hear the snap of the phone on the other line shutting. I sit still on my bed and stare at my own phone blankly. I can't believe I drove from Chouji's house, _climbed _through the fucking _window _of my own house (dad thought it would be awfully hilarious to hide the key and lock me out while he and mom do I-don't-want-to-know on last minute 'vacation' in some sick secluded hotel), just so I could get my phone, call her, and be treated to _that_.

I guess I know how Ino feels, in a way…

Wait, since when do I believe in karma?

My phone rings again, shrill and plain, and I look at Temari's name on the screen.

I press 'accept', and put the phone to my ear. I breath out. "…Yeah?" I ask quietly, making sure my voice is gentle.

"…You can pick me up at eleven forty-five," she mumbles almost subtly.

I smile. "Okay, cool. See you soon?"

I hear her sigh in relief, and say, voice a little lighter, "Okay."

Lunch.

**TenTen** seems to enjoy wearing what she doodles. She pins her long brown hair up in a different hairstyle ever day, and in shades of sleek blue and white she dresses, accessories and all, in decorations of spaceships and dinosaurs. She has necklaces with cupcake pendants and bracelets with hearts and stars dangling off the chains in an uncomfortably uncountable amount of charms.

She doesn't act much different than her clothes. Energetic and spunky, she uses words such as 'spiffy' and 'orgasmic' on an everyday basis, paying no mind to the frequent stares she receives. She's definitely a perfect specimen for Temari's friendship. The two are inseparable, and press their firm feministic beliefs that women are just as strong as men on ever innocent passerby. And somehow, they are very likeable.

However, there is one flaw within their relationship; they are also sworn enemies.

"TenTen, _hi_!" Temari says in a sickly fake voice as we trudge together through the forest of grass and weed to the chipped, wooden picnic table Ino had grabbed randomly.

Said girl is sitting on her loyal boyfriend's lap, and looks over with a start. She gives Temari this eye-burning smile. "Oh, _Temari_! Hi, it's so _nice_ to see you!"

"Same here! _Nice_!" Temari says through her teeth.

I glance to Neji, holding TenTen tightly as if afraid she's going to jump up and kill Temari where she stands. "Hi," I greet him simply.

"Hey." He nods to Temari, and I just shake my head, telling him we shouldn't bother them. Not when they're like this…

Ino gives a beaming smile as Chouji munches on a bag of chips. "Hi Temari! You're just in time, me and TenTen are gonna set up volleyball."

"I'm in," she says, sending TenTen a glance.

"_Great_," TenTen says, smiling dangerously. "Let's go, then!" She climbs off of Neji and follows Ino to the sand not too far away with a volleyball clutched under her arm.

Temari stands very close to me. "She's out to get me," she mutters, watching her rival walk away with a bounce in her step. "Did you see that look in her eye?"

"Well, you get what you give…" I say wisely, a little disturbed.

"You don't understand, Shikamaru," Temari says darkly. "I gotta get her before she gets me!"

TenTen looks over her shoulder and suddenly, she and Temari are sharing the scariest of all glares. I can just _feel_ the electricity coming off of them like a shock from a lightning bolt.

Next thing I know, they're smiling brightly, and Temari's walking over happily like nothing happened.

Women have got to be the most frightening creatures ever spawned.

Sound.

**Neji**, it is apparent, will do anything for TenTen. Sure, he commonly complains about her, how annoying she can be and how unreasonable she is. She teases him too much, she's too picky. But he is, most definitely, TenTen's man-bitch.

She's obsessed with him. If she's eating something and finds it delicious, she orders him to try it too. She asks for his opinion on every outfit and hairstyle. I can't wait for the day she duct tapes his mouth and ties him to a chair…Only so I can explain to him the next day that yes, I am better.

But he's a nice guy. Pretty smart, very interesting to talk to. Someone that can actually understand me. We could chat for hours exchanging our thoughts on philosophy and politics. We rarely argue, in fact most of the time we agree with each other. And sometimes, we purposefully use large words just so we can amuse ourselves confusing anyone unfortunate enough to be caught listening to our antics.

I've also come to the realization that we can fucking talk with our _eyes_. Through a series of nods and scrunching up our eyebrows, we can pass to each other any sort of information.

And I've just told him, by complete accident, what I've come here to keep a secret in the first place.

With a dreadful smirk, he sits back against the picnic table and takes a bite of one of the subway sandwiches Ino bought for all of us. I raise an eyebrow, and he swallows.

"So that's why we've been dragged here against our will," he says, mirth dancing in his expressive gaze. "I knew you and Temari were more than friends."

"We're not going out," I mutter, avoiding his eyes. I know there's no chance of telling him he's mistaken. It's over, everyone's figured it out by now. I am such an open book. "We're just…"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Neji says, shaking his hands reassuringly. "Please spare me the details." He watches as I pick at the already peeling wood on the bench. "So when are you gonna tell her?"

I glance up at him. "How long did it take for you to tell TenTen?"

"One day," Neji says with a small laugh. "And I'm being serious." He turns to face the girls in the volleyball court. They're barefoot and dressed in such revealing clothes, Ino refereeing Temari and TenTen who are passing the ball over the net to each other. I bet those guys over there drooling over them are in heaven. I could _send_ them to heaven…

"I figured it out after going out with her for three weeks," Neji continues suddenly. I look over at him, and see his smile stuck on TenTen fondly. "And I didn't want to hold on to something like that for too long. It kinda rots away at your soul for a while.

"How'd you tell her?" I ask encouragingly.

"I just did," he says, shrugging. "She didn't believe me at first, so I had to…er…_convince_ her…"

"Yeah, spare me the details," I quote, grimacing. I finger the grooves of the graffiti on the table, turning my gaze to Temari. She's smiling, laughing lightheartedly as TenTen misses the ball. That smile is so gorgeous…

I take out my cell phone, and my thumb flies over the keys.

_Can I have dinner at your house tonight?_

I press send and wait, sipping on my Pepsi as I watch Temari reach into the pocket of her shorts and retrieve her phone. She reads the screen, then glances over at me. I catch her eye and she immediately turns back to her cell phone.

I can see from the corner of my eye Neji and Chouji watching me interestedly. My cell phone vibrates with a text, and I read it.

_Sounds good. But you're driving._

I look up and share a smile with Temari. Neji next to me smirks, and Chouji bites into a sandwich.

It's all very exciting, until the volleyball hits Temari in the head. I laugh as Temari throws it as hard as she can into TenTen's stomach, and the two begin to argue as Ino pretends to pole dance against the side of the net.

Pocketing my cell phone, I sit back contently as Chouji gives me a small grin over his sandwich that simply says, Good Job and Good Luck.

Boomerang.

**Temari** should be arrested. There should be a law against one person being _too_ cute. Or too hott. Or too sexy. Because she is _way_ too sexy. Her skin is the perfect color; naturally pale, but very thinly tanned from being out in the sun a lot. She's not orange, or Jamaican, like the other girls' fake tans. It suits her hair.

Her hair…Light blonde, and going just a bit past her shoulders. She always wears it up, or down, in some crazy fashion. Sometimes it's down with a couple braids here and there, beads and string threaded in randomly. Others, it's a ponytail with a ribbon. Or a sloppy bun hanging at the nape of her neck, or two low pigtails, curled at the ends. And it _always_ looks good.

And her eyes, like two pools to the sky. Teal, and definitely a dangerous set to look into. Always sparkling with mirth, glinting with scorn, glittering with passion. Always beautiful, like her smile that can make me feel numb all over, like _her_.

So to put it short; just looking at her is a pain in the ass.

"Shikamaru?" she asks, raising an eyebrow from across me on her bed, both of us cross legged on the plushy comforter.

"What?"

"I asked you a question."

"...When?"

She sighs, and places an elbow on her knee. "Okay, I'll try again and hope you'll listen," she says darkly, and as she glares at me, I look over her outfit. It's…revealing. A white tank and the shortest of jean shorts. What, is she _trying _to give me a hard on? "I asked what you want for dinner."

I frown. "…I don't know." I cross my arms behind my neck and concentrate. "I feel like…pancakes."

"…You really are a kid!"

"Hey, I like breakfast food. Can you make it?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Hey, you're good at cooking. I'm just lucky," I say, satisfied by her blush. I look over her shoulder at the headboard of her bed and smile. "Hey, it's your stupid cat!"

"Don't call Checkers stupid," she says playfully, lifting him into her arms.

I reach over and retrieve the yellow fluffy animal and place him on my shoulder. "Hey, Temari."

"…What?" she asks warily, knowing something's coming.

"I think Checkers is out to get me."

She groans and flings an arm across her eyes, but I can see the laugh coming on. "Oh shut up!"

"No, really, it's the look in his eyes-"

"TenTen really _is_ out to get me, okay? You just don't understand!"

"No, I really do. Just like this cat is out to get me." I place a hand on top of its head, and he purrs contentedly. "See, look, he's growling."

"Okay, I'm gonna cook _pancakes_ for you, little boy."

"But if you leave he'll eat me!"

"I said shut up!"

Dinner.

**Love** is a strange thing. It can hurt me, sometimes. When I'm far away from Temari, when I get into an argument with her, I can barely concentrate. Other times, it feels amazing. Incredible. When she blushes, or admits she cares about me, I just want to laugh, and hold her tight. Every time she's in my arms, every kiss I share with her, is heart-stopping.

And the feeling only grows…

I'm lying on my side in her bed, looking out the door to where I can see her making the pancakes in the kitchen. Her cat's on top of the counter above the stove, and Temari's smiling at it as it rubs himself on a spatula.

"Checkers, I'm gonna have to wash that now silly!"

I smile a little, hearing the bright, happy tone of her voice. I love it when she uses that voice with me, the baby voice. It's as if I'm the most precious thing to her, when she uses that voice. The pretty, high-pitched, adored voice…

I sigh and turn onto my back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. I've been here so many times it's like I've memorized the place.

But lying here, listening to Jason Moraz on her iHome and inhaling the scent of pancake batter hissing from the kitchen on the frying pan, it feels…different.

I don't know yet if I like it or not. It's kind of scary. The idea of what I'm going to do. The chance of her hurting me, or me hurting her, it's _huge_. It's a terrifyingly good odd that we'll end this night with a bruise on my cheek, and a tear on Temari's…

No…No, I couldn't handle that. There's a whole year in front of me, right? An entire school year, that I can still spend with her. If there's a chance of losing her, or a chance of seeing her at her apartment, all the time, then…

But…

That's right…

Sure. It could turn out wrong. I don't know if I like the 'differences' yet or not. But I like _her_. I _love_ her. And it could also turn out…_right_. I could spend _every day_ with her…

And Chouji and Neji, they were both totally right. I can't remember the last time I felt brave, everything's been uncertain and insecure. Until now. I'm not going to be afraid of this. I'm not afraid of love.

Because I don't need to be a genius to know that she loves me too. And that everything's going to turn out okay, in the end.

Sight.

**Life** must hate me. No, it _does_ hate me.

I mean, first of all, it sticks me in a community college, and gives me a great opportunity to go to a university. Then, it gives me Temari. Invites me over to her house, and we…well…

And then…then…

Then it gives me Temari with an Italian Ice.

I can't handle it. She way she scoops up the lemon shavings in her spoon, then slides the silverware into her mouth and sucks on the thing like she doesn't know I'm there…

But that's the worst part! She _knows_ I'm here, she just_ doesn't_ know the torture she's putting me through! The way her tongue darts out, pink and lush, to clean her perfect, full lips, a lovely tan shade, the contented smile she gets as she swallows, loving the taste…

Or maybe life loves me, and I'm really, really lucky…

Screw it.

Having enough of my suffering, I suddenly throw her stupid desert off to the side, and before she can retaliate, I push her to the ground, kissing her roughly. My tongue slides into her surprised mouth immediately, and she responds soon, although reluctantly.

As I move my mouth to her neck, and she gasps my name, "Shikamaru!", in that voice that sends a shiver down my stomach, I can remember what Chouji told me:

_"When the time comes where you finally get your cute little head out of the clouds and decide to tell her how you feel about her, _don't hesitate_."_

I hold her wrists down on the ground gently, and move back up to her mouth, loving the lemon taste of her tongue. And I recall what Neji had said to me:

_"It kinda rots away at your soul for a while."_

"Shikamaru…"

I blink and part from her, both of us regaining our breath. She looks flushed, and nervous, and…disappointed.

"…Why tonight…?" she asks softly, looking away from me. "Why do we have to do this tonight? I thought it would be…different." She barely glances at me, then looks away again sadly.

I stare determinedly at her. "This _is_ different…" I say quietly. She looks up at me again uncertainly, and I smile as confidently as I can at her. "Temari, I-" I stop myself, and sigh. "Temari, it is different, I promise," I change the direction again.

She shakes her head. "I…didn't want this to happen, Shikamaru," she whispers, and I stare down at her in confusion. "I didn't want any of it to happen. When I invited you over, I didn't think…" She cuts herself off and shakes her head, blushing. "I…I felt lucky at first, I thought it was a dream come true, because I…I'd always wanted…you with me, when I went to sleep. It was always…_you_, you know?"

I tried not to tighten my hold on her wrists; the way she said that affected me well.

"But..." she continued grimly. "It wasn't a dream come true. Because…I didn't have you."

I tilted my head to the side. "What are you talking about?"

"You're not _mine_!" she said, and suddenly her voice was louder, and she was glaring up at me with an icy gaze. "You're not mine, you never were, and you never will-!"

I stop her with a kiss, but she breaks away, shaking her head, and I can see tears filling up her eyes. "You know it too, alright? You're-"

"I'm yours." She stops, startled, then stares up at me, and I laugh sheepishly. "Heh. I just quoted a pop song, great." She doesn't react, just seems a little ticked that I'm laughing in a situation like this. But she'll just have to deal with it. That's…_me_, and she _has_ me…

I decide to say that out loud. "You have me," I say simply. "And I have you. And I'm not going to have sex with you tonight." Her cheeks turn pink at that, but I ignore that and continue. "I'm going to sleep with you," I say simply. "And I'm going to be here tomorrow, and the next day. I'm going to move in with you, and some day I'll marry you, when I can. And I'll sleep with you every day, I don't care how."

She stares at me, mesmerized. Staring into those wide, blue eyes, I trace her face with my fingers gently. "Because I love you," I say softly, and it feels strange to have something coming out of my mouth so tenderly. So honestly. So lovingly.

Her tears spill, but she's smiling happily and she pulls me down into a harsh kiss that I accept eagerly. When it starts to get complicated, she pushes away a bit and says breathlessly, with a guilty smile, "Can we go to sleep now…?"

I laugh and nod, rolling over to lye down next to her, and pull the sheet that's off to the side of the bed over us both. She smiles, and I feel her arms winding around my waist, face resting against my chest. She sighs contentedly.

"You know when we're married you're going to have to clean up your messes."

"Yeah, I know."

"You might as well start with the Italian Ice on the ground over there."

"Eh heh…yeah, I'll take care of that in the morning."

"And when we're married you're going to have to learn to get along with Checkers, too."

"Oh, that'll be tough," I say sarcastically, smiling at her giggle into my neck. Suddenly her hands darts up and turns my face down to look at her.

Sweetly grinning at me, she whispers, "I love you."

I kiss her deeply, then press her face to my chest. "Goodnight, sweetheart," I murmur into the top of her head, inhaling the delightful scent of her hair as she slings a leg over my waist.

"'Night."

Yeah, I suppose, although I have an entire year, one day is good enough. Some things can't wait.

So, I guess it's time to go to sleep tonight where I woke up this morning.

And I'm okay with that.

* * *

_What goes around comes around._


End file.
